Book cover of Aesop Without Morals: The Famous Fables and a Life of Aesop

Book description

Here are the familiar Fables of Aesop--moralistic pap for school children for so many hundred of years that it is almost impossible to think of them in any other light. But Lloyd W. Daly, prominent educator and classicist, now presents the Fables in a new light--as adult literature, as an…

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Why read it?

1 author picked Aesop Without Morals as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

You've probably heard of the Aesop fables, which were written so that slaves could speak the truth to their masters in disguised terms. The Life of Aesop is an ancient novel length version of the escapades of the slave. Potbellied, snub-nosed and bandy-legged, his openly sexual behaviour broke all the rules of ancient life, which generates much of the humour. He is a trickster who wins small, temporary victories based on an intimate knowledge of how the powerful operate. He works constantly to invert the social order and even though he loses in the end it is only to overwhelming…

From Jerry's list on Roman slavery.

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